River of Tears: swimming back in time
At the time Eric Clapton’s Pilgrim album was released in 1998, I just happened to be in a deep funk of my own so it suited my mood. I listened to it over and over and over again.
Words of praise from a Rolling Stone review (David Wild, Mar 19, 1998):
On the album’s sizzling title track, he evokes some of the soulful eloquence of the great Curtis Mayfield. And Clapton’s vocals on “River of Tears” and “Broken Hearted” (with lovely backing vocals and tin whistle from Paul Brady), the ultradelicate “Circus” and the country-tinged “Fall Like Rain” are among the most convincing of his career.
So it wasn’t just me and my mood.
River of Tears (lyrics here) is truly one of the most powerful songs on the cd. Today, I found this video of Clapton’s live performance of the piece during his 2001 world tour.
